CarterHud

       Being a general manager sounds easy. You get to make trades, and sign free agents, then wait until they win you a Stanley Cup. But there is way more to the job. That\’s why winning GM of the year is a very special honor. This year\’s GM of the year finalists are David Poile of the Nashville Predators, Peter Chiarelli of the Edmonton Oilers and Pierre Dorion of the Ottawa Senators.

      In a blockbuster, June 29 trade that sent captain d-man Shea Weber to Montreal, Poile acquired star defenseman P.K. Subban. Subban made a big difference, and the team made the first 3rd round appearance in franchise history, and are currently up 2-1 on the Anaheim Ducks.

     In another June 29 blockbuster trade, Chiarelli traded LW Taylor Hall to the Devils for defenseman Adam Larsson, and signed LW Milan Lucic to a monster deal. As a result, the Oilers won their first playoff series since 2006, but lost in the second round in seven games to the Anaheim Ducks.

   Dorion never made a blockbuster trade, but made the most trades, acquiring forwards Tommy Wingels, Alex Burrows and Viktor Stalberg. The Sens made the playoffs this year, after missing them last year. They beat the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers in rounds one and two, and are now tied 1-1 with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

    I think Poile will win. It takes lots of guts to make that big of a trade. It will be looked on for decades. Also, the Preds have a good chance of making it to the Cup final now, and maybe even win the Cup. Poile would definitely deserve it then.

    
  The Vegas Golden Knights have an AHL affiliate. It was announced by the Golden Knights themselves that the Chicago Wolves would be their first affiliate in franchise history.

       \”American Hockey League affiliates play significant roles in the success of all NHL clubs and we are proud to have the Chicago Wolves as our first in team history,\” Golden Knights GM George McPhee said in a statement. \”I would like to thank [owner] Don Levin, [General Manager] Wendell Young and the rest of the Wolves organization for their commitment to the game and helping young hockey players grow to reach their full potential as professionals. Chicago is without question one of the strongest, most passionate hockey communities in North America. This is a relationship that we truly believe will be mutually beneficial.\”

        \”If you look at George McPhee\’s history, he has always been a general manger who believes that winning is an important part of developing players. Professional playoffs are different than the regular season and he understands that and he wants his players to be ready to win,\” Wolves owner Don Levin said in the same statement.

         The Wolves won the Central division and made it to the second round before losing to the Grand Rapid Griffins (Red Wings affiliate). Their winning percentage, .664, was the highest in franchise history since 2008.

         The Wolves have been the St. Louis Blues\’ affiliate since 2013. They won\’t renew the contract with the Wolves, but Blues GM Doug Armstrong said he\’ll send prospects to the Wolves. The Wolves have a past history of being the affiliates of the Chicago Blackhawks, Atlanta Thrashers (now Winnipeg Jets) and Vancouver Canucks. Former NHL stars Chris Chelios, Troy Murray and Rob Brown all played for the Wolves.

    

New York Islanders prospect and Seattle Thunderbirds center Mathew Barzal has been named MVP of the WHL playoffs. Barzal scored 25 points (7 goals and 18 assists) in 16 playoff games.

        Barzal, 19, was drafted 16th overall (first round) in the 2015 NHL draft by the Islanders, after the pick was acquired from the Edmonton Oilers for Griffin Reinhart. He played two games for the Islanders this season, scoring no points.

         Barzal played in 41 regular season games for the Thunderbirds this year, scoring an amazing 79 points (10 goals and 69 assists). In his WHL career, he has 278 points (63 goals and 215 assists) in 202 games over 4 seasons for Seattle. He\’s expected to make the Islanders in 2017-18.

        After a 4-3 win in game 6 over the Regina Pats, the Thunderbirds won the WHL title, their first WHL title in the franchise\’s 40 year history.

        The Thunderbirds will be one of the four teams in the Memorial Cup tournament. The winner is the best team out of the WHL, OHL and QMJHL. The three other teams are the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL, and the OHL\’s Erie Otters and Windsor Spitfires.

       The New York Yankees have placed LHP Aroldis Chapman on the 10 day DL with left shoulder rotator cuff inflammation.

        \”He\’s going to be shut down for two weeks and then we\’ll re-assess. You\’re probably looking at a minimum of a month if everything goes right,\” Yankees GM Brian Cashman told MLB.com.

         Chapman is known for being able to throw over 100 miles per hour with his fastball consistently. The fastball has helped him grow into a top 3 closer in the league.

          Chapman, 29, has a 3.55 ERA in 12.2 innings this year, striking out 21. He has 7 saves. He spent 6 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, before being traded to the Yankees for Rookie Davis, Eric Jagielo, Tony Renda and Caleb Cotham. He spent part of 2016 with the Yankees, before being traded to the Chicago Cubs for MLB\’s number 2 prospect, Gleyber Torres, Billy McKinney, Rashad Crawford and Adam Warren. He won the World Series with them last year. During the offseason, Chapman went back to the Yankees, on a 5 year, $86 million deal, the highest a reliever ever received.

           In his career, he has an ERA of 2.12 in 389.2 innings, striking out 657 batters for the Reds, Yankees and Cubs. He\’s recorded 189 saves in total.

           To replace Chapman, the Yanks recalled RHP Chad Green from AAA Scranton/Wilks-Barre. Green, 25, was acquired along with Luis Cessa for Justin Wilson not long after Chapman was acquired. He struck out 2 batters in a scoreless inning this year. He has a career 4.63 ERA in 46.2 innings with 54 strikeouts.

      

The Washington Nationals and RF Bryce Harper have agreed to a one year deal to avoid arbitration. He is still eligible for free agency after the 2018 season.

        In 2018, Harper will earn $21.625 million, $8 million more than the $13.625 million he earns for 2017. If Harper wins MVP, he\’ll get a million dollar bonus. This deal sets a record for a 1st year arbitration eligible player.

        The 1st overall pick in the 2010 draft, Harper was the 2012 rookie of the year. He was also the unanimous NL MVP in 2015. So far in 2017, Harper leads the MLB in OBP (.496) and runs (37). He\’s top 10 in walks, (tied for 3rd, 28) OPS, (2nd, 1.213), batting average, (2nd, .372) slugging, (4th, .717), RBI (tied for 7th, 29) and homers (tied for 10th with 10).